Evacuation system

ABSTRACT

An evacuation system and method for removing and/or treating gaseous and/or particulate byproducts of surgical procedures includes an end effector such as a side vent trocar, an operating room tower or the equivalent, a disposal vessel, a vacuum source and optionally a filter. The end effector may be coupled to the tower by a conduit, the tower may be coupled to the collection tank by a conduit, and the collection tank may be coupled to the vacuum source. Gaseous and/or particulate byproducts may flow from the surgical site through the trocar, conduits, tower tank and filter, and the flow may be regulated at least in part by the components of the system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional application of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. Nos. 61/808,877, filed on Apr. 5, 2013, entitled “SmokeEvacuation System;” and 61/887,026, filed on Oct. 4, 2013, entitled“Smoke Evacuation System,” the contents of each of which areincorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to smoke evacuation systems, and moreparticularly to evacuation systems operable to control suction levelsfor use in removing surgical byproducts such as smoke and body fluids inlaparoscopic settings while employing vacuum devices adapted for opensurgery.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to equipment, systems and methods for the removaland/or treatment of gaseous and/or substantially gaseous material. Suchmaterial includes, but is not limited to aerosol and particle byproductsof surgical procedures and any procedures involving cutting, heating orburning, and may include, for example, chemicals, ultrasonic vapors,particles, and ion dust particles. More particularly, the presentinvention relates to an evacuation system that efficiently removessmoke, odor, vapor, particles or plumes released by chemicals orproduced by the use of lasers, sonic cutting and/or cautery or othersurgical techniques or instruments at a surgical site.

Heating and/or burning of tissue during surgical procedures has becomecommonplace. An unwanted byproduct of such heating and/or burning,however, is the smoke and/or aerosol generated thereby. Smoke plumes canobscure the surgeon's field of vision and the odor generated isunpleasant and distracting to the entire surgical team and to thepatient, if awake. Moreover, the smoke plume may contain infectiousagents that present a danger to persons in the operating room, and whichcan leave a lingering contamination within the operating area. Chemicalvapor may be irritating to the respiratory tract of those who inhale itand may be carcinogenic.

Smoke evacuation and filtering systems have been developed to removesmoke plumes from surgical sites and/or chemical vapors from a workenvironment. Such systems typically include a vacuum source orgenerator, a conduit connected to the vacuum source and a suction wandor end effector connected to the conduit for being placed at or near thesite at which the plumes or vapors are generated. Various filtrationsystems have been used in conjunction with such systems to remove odorand infectious agents. Known evacuation systems are disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 4,921,492 (Schultz) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,977 (Thompson), thedisclosures of which patents are incorporated herein by reference. U.S.Pat. No. 5,015,243 (Schifano) discloses another smoke evacuator fordrawing smoke and air from around a surgical site as smoke is produced.

In some embodiments, current state of the art devices for removal ofsmoke and/or other byproducts generated during laparoscopy are devicesfor passive evacuation and filtration wherein an ULPA-activated charcoalfilter is attached to the side vent of a trocar. Flow and filtrationrely at least in part on the pressure difference between the interior ofthe abdomen and outside of the body to generate a flow to remove andfilter the smoke. In some embodiments, depending upon the system and/orthe method of flow restriction and/or regulation, flow rates ofsmoke-laden carbon dioxide gas is 6-10 liters per min. from the abdomen,through the filter and into ambient air.

Today's relentless reduction in reimbursement by insurance agencies forhospital invoices make cost-effective methods for surgical proceduresimperative. For example, a $25/filter used in one and a half to twomillion cases/year creates a healthcare expense of $37.5-50M/year.

While known smoke evacuation systems and end effectors, e.g., those ofthe Schultz, Thompson and Schifano type, are well-suited for theirintended purposes, there is room for improvement.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a system for actively removing orevacuating smoke, chemical vapors, aerosols, particles, gaseous orgenerally gaseous material, liquids and/or fluids, including fluids withentrained particles or other material. The system may be used and/oradapted for removing such substances from surgical sites, workstationsand manufacturing assemblies or processing sites.

Embodiments of a smoke evacuation system and method, including anevacuator, in accordance with the present invention are designed toefficiently and quietly remove and/or treat smoke or other aerosols,including smoke or bioaerosols (e.g. a mixture of body fluids, irrigantand gas) generated during surgical procedures, and in some embodimentscan be used at a surgical site without constant attention ormanipulation by the surgeon or an attendant.

In some embodiments, the present invention comprises a vacuum smokeevacuator for coupling to a vacuum source for withdrawing generallygaseous byproducts, including smoke, fine particulate matter, air andthe like, from a surgical or commercial site.

In some embodiments, a system and method in accordance with the presentinvention would save money over current systems, potentially saving,based on anticipated increases to 4 million cases/year, $80M/year, e.g.by not needing to continually and/or as frequently replace expensiveHEPA or ULPA filters. In addition, the system of the present inventionwould allow substantially complete removal of smoke and/or particlesfrom the operating room including what remains after ULPA filtration,namely, nanoparticles or ultrafine particles of less than 100 nanometersin diameter. These are the particles responsible for causing systemicdiseases as a result of chronic exposure in operating rooms where healthcare personnel, e.g. nurses, technicians, anesthetists and physicians,surgical assistants, careers may span 20-30 years of exposure.

In some embodiments, an evacuation system in accordance with the presentinvention includes suitable conduits, flow regulators, restrictorsand/or valves, end effectors or nozzles and/or connection features,e.g., to allow for suitable flow through the system and for coupling thesystem to a source of low pressure or vacuum.

According to one implementation, an evacuation system for surgicalsettings includes a vacuum source configured to generate a negativepressure for delivering a level of suction for removing smoke duringopen surgery. A flow regulator device fluidly couples to the vacuumsource and includes a vacuum port, an inlet port, and a flow rateadjuster. The vacuum port is adapted to fluidly couple to the vacuumsource, the inlet port is adapted to fluidly couple to an end effector,the vacuum port and the inlet port are fluidly coupled, and the flowrate adjuster is operable to adjust a level negative pressure deliveredby the vacuum source to the inlet port to a reduced suction level.Consequently, the end effector receives a level of active suction forremoving smoke from a body cavity during laparoscopic surgery.Particularly, the maximum level of suction allowed for laparoscopicsurgical settings is less than the level of suction typically providedin open surgical settings. More specifically, and according to anotherimplementation, the vacuum source may be configured to generate anegative pressure for delivering a level of suction of at least 25 cubicfeet per minute (ft³/min), whereas the end effector, by virtue of itsconnection to the flow regulator device, receives a level of suction forremoving smoke from a body cavity of up to 0.35 ft³/min (i.e., up to 10liters per minute), which is nearly two orders of magnitude less thanthe level of suction delivered by the vacuum source.

According to yet another implementation, the evacuation system forsurgical settings may include the aforementioned vacuum source and flowregulator device, as well as a disposal vessel configured to hold fluidbyproducts from surgery; a decontamination area configured todecontaminate gaseous byproducts from surgery; an end effectorconfigured for insertion into a body and for removing smoke from a bodycavity during laparoscopic surgery; and a fluid pathway fluidly couplingthe vacuum source, the disposal vessel, the decontamination area, theflow regulator device and the end effector. In this implementation, thevacuum port of the flow regulator couples to the vacuum source, theinlet port is adapted to fluidly couple to the end effector, the vacuumport and the inlet port are fluidly coupled, and the flow rate adjusteris operable to adjust a level negative pressure delivered by the vacuumsource to the inlet port to a reduced suction level such that the endeffector receives a level of active suction for removing smoke from abody cavity during laparoscopic surgery.

It should be appreciated that features of any of the embodiments of thepresent invention may be selectively combined to adapt the system for avariety of situations and surgical procedures.

Other features and advantages of the smoke evacuation system and methodof the present invention will become more fully apparent and understoodwith reference to the following description and accompanying drawing andclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates an embodiment of a smoke evacuation system accordingto implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B illustrates a portion of the smoke evacuation system accordingto the implementation of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic of a flow regulator device according toother implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A illustrates an isometric view of a schematic of the flowregulator device of FIG. 2 and its arrangement relative to a vacuumsource.

FIG. 3B illustrates a side view of the schematic of the flow regulatordevice and vacuum source of FIG. 3A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview: The accompanying drawings and this description depict anddescribe embodiments of the evacuation systems and methods of thepresent invention. Any reference to “the invention” herein shall not beconstrued as a generalization, limitation or characterization of anysubject matter disclosed herein and shall not be considered to be anelement or limitation of any appended claim except if and/or whereexplicitly recited or stated. As used herein, the term surgical site isintended to encompass places where an incision or puncture is to be madein the skin or where other surgical operations or procedures areperformed or to be performed. With regard to fastening, mounting,attaching or connecting the components of the present invention to formthe system, unless specifically described otherwise, such are intendedto encompass conventional fasteners such as machine screws, nut and boltconnectors, machine threaded connectors, snap rings, hose clamps such asscrew clamps and the like, rivets, nuts and bolts, toggles, pins and thelike. Components may also be connected by adhesives, glues, heatsealing, snap fitting, welding, ultrasonic welding, and friction fittingor deformation, if appropriate. Unless specifically otherwise disclosedor taught, materials for making components of the present invention maybe selected from appropriate materials such as metal, metallic alloys,natural and manmade fibers, vinyls, plastics and the like, andappropriate manufacturing or production methods including casting,extruding, molding and machining may be used.

Any references to front and back, right and left, top and bottom andupper and lower are intended for convenience of description, not tolimit the present invention or its components to any one positional orspatial orientation.

Surgical sites are generally of two types: open surgical orlaparoscopic. During open surgeries, smoke and vapors are produced as aresult of burning or lasering of tissue. Consequently, suction devicesare used proximate the surgical opening, and are typically hand-heldsuction devices, such as wands. During laparoscopic surgeries, smoke andvapors again are produced and become trapped within the surgical siteand require removal to provide visibility to the surgical site. Thus,active suction is commonly used to evacuate the smoke and vapors from abody cavity while the laparoscopic surgery takes place.

Hand-held suction devices and laparoscopic suction devices havediffering suction requirements. Particularly, hand-held devices usedduring open surgeries require a higher suction rate compared to suctionrates allowed in laparoscopic surgery. For instance, vacuum sources foropen surgeries may deliver negative pressures that generate a suctionrate of at least 25 ft³/min; and in contrast, vacuum sources forlaparoscopic surgeries typically deliver negative pressures that resultin a suction rate of about 0.35 ft³/min (i.e., about 10 liters perminute). If a higher suction rate were used during laparoscopic surgerythe patient would be at risk of having intact body tissue such as bowelssuctioned, which can damage or destroy the intact tissue. Consequently,in prior approaches, dedicated conduits were used to connect to each ofthe hand-held suction devices and the laparoscopic devices, and eachwere joined to separate types of vacuum sources. For instance, devicesused in open surgery were joined to a vacuum source having a relativelyhigher suction level, while devices used in laparoscopic surgeries werejoined to a vacuum source having a relatively lower suction level.However, according to implementations of the present disclosure, a flowregulator device may couple a laparoscopic suction device to a singlevacuum source adapted to deliver a higher suction level, while the flowregulator regulates the suction level to a lower suction level to enablea vacuum source to be used in laparoscopic surgical settings thatotherwise would generate a suction level at the end effector that isunsafe for use in such settings. According to further implementations,the flow regulator device may additionally couple to hand-held suctiondevices for use with the same vacuum source and may be used in opensurgical settings.

Accordingly, the vacuum sources applicable to the present disclosure maybe almost any vacuum source adapted for use during open surgeries fordelivering high suction rates. For instance, the vacuum source may be aself-contained vacuum unit commonly found in operating rooms such asLEVs (local exhaust ventilators) as made by Buffalo Filter, Conmed,Covidien, or may by a vacuum connection that is arranged through tubingto a site remote from the operating room.

Detailed Description of the Figures:

Referring to FIG. 1A, an embodiment of an evacuation system 10 isdepicted in accordance with implementations of the present invention.The evacuation system 10 is generally found within an operating room orother area where surgeries are conducted and are used to evacuatebyproducts of surgery such as smoke and fluids containing potentiallyharmful particulates, and both laparoscopic and open surgeries may beconducted using the evacuation system 10.

The evacuation system 10 includes a suitable vacuum source 12, e.g. avacuum port. It further includes a filtration assembly 14; an endeffector 16 such as a side vent trocar; a tower connector device 18and/or the substantial equivalent, e.g., used to centralize and/ororganize electrical connections and/or displays, tubes, outlets, etc. inan operating room; a disposal vessel 20 such as a decontamination areaor a collection tank; and a filter 21. The end effector 16 is coupled tothe tower connector device 18 by a conduit 22, the tower connectordevice 18 is coupled to the disposal vessel 20 by a conduit 24, and thedisposal vessel 20 is coupled to the vacuum source 12. According tocertain implementations, a flow regulator device 26, restrictor, valveor other suitable flow affecting arrangement, e.g., a suitablydimensioned connector, between the conduit 22 and tower connector device18, is associated with the tower connector device 18 and is used toregulate negative pressure and therefore suction delivered to an endeffector 16 from the vacuum source 12. In some implementations, the flowregulator device 26 may be associated with the end effector 16 orinterposed between the tower connector device 18 and the trocar 16. Infurther implementations, the flow regulator device may be associatedwith the vacuum source 12, or interposed between the vacuum source 12and the end effector 16, and the tower connector device 18 may or maynot be present in such an evacuation system. Accordingly, the evacuationsystem 10 may include the devices depicted in FIG. 1A, or some of thedevices may be removed or may be substituted without departing from thepresent disclosure.

The vacuum source 12 generates a negative pressure for delivering alevel of airflow or suction at a rate adapted for open surgery, such asat a rate of at least 25 ft³/min. As described, the vacuum source 12 isone that is generally used in open surgical settings where the level ofsuction required to remove smoke and fluids from the operating room ishigh, and in some implementations, may deliver a rate of suction of upto 60 ft³/min. In some cases, the vacuum source 12 of the presentdisclosure may differ from in-wall suction units that operate with asuction rate of about 5-7 ft³/min.

The filtration assembly 14 may be of the type commonly used in surgicalsettings and may be a stand-alone unit or may be integrally formed withor form a component of the vacuum source 12 or another component of theevacuation system 10. The filtration assembly 14 may include anultra-low penetration air (“ULPA”) filter, a high-efficiency particulateabsorption (“HEPA”) filter, a baffle, or other device used indecontamination processes and/or in removing particulates from fluidand/or air. The filtration assembly 14 may fluidly couple to the vacuumsource 12, and during operation of the vacuum source 12, the negativepressure generated may cause the gaseous and/or particulate byproductsto flow to the filtration assembly 14, where the byproducts may betrapped while allowing filtered gasses and/or fluids to pass through thefiltration assembly. The filtration assembly may thus ensure thatpotentially harmful vapors and particulates are separated from gassesand/or liquids that lead to the vacuum source. In some implementations,the filtration unit 14 may be disposable, e.g., a single-usearrangement, or may be reusable and replaceable.

The end effector 16 used in connection with the evacuation system 10 maybe configured for use in laparoscopic settings and thus may beinsertable through skin and into a body cavity of the patient wheresmoke plumes or vapors are generated. In some implementations, the endeffector 16 may be a side vent trocar or suction-irrigation tube withone or more trumpet valves. End effectors may be extruded from a singlepiece of material, e.g., a unitary piece of synthetic resin or similarextrudable material, and may be advantageously and hygienically disposedof after a single use, without the necessity of handling contaminatedmaterial. The end effector 16 may be used in combination with aninsufflator, which is generally used within the body cavity to inflatethe cavity with carbon dioxide gas and provide positive pressure tomaintain the body cavity in an inflated space during the laparoscopicprocedure.

In addition to the end effectors used in laparoscopic settings, endeffectors commonly used in open surgical settings may be providedaccording to certain implementations, for instance where the flowregulator device 26 includes inlet ports for receiving end effectorsused in open surgery. Such end effectors may include wands,electrosurgical ‘pencils’ or ‘pens’ as well as the miniSquair® byNascent Surgical.

The tower connector device 18 may generally be a device commonly foundin operating rooms and may be used to centralize and/or organizeelectrical connections and/or displays, tubes, and ports (e.g., outletsand inlets) in an operating room. The tower connector device may includeports (inlets and outlets) adapted to be coupled to the vacuum source 12and one or more end effectors, such as end effector 16, or conduitstructures leading to the end effectors. Any suitable coupling orconnection methods may be used in joining the ports to other devicesincluding “quick-release”-type connectors, Leur-type, detent-typeconnectors, screw-type connectors or bayonet-type connective structures,and friction fitting. The coupling connections may include or mayintegrally form sealing components for facilitating the formation of aseal between the tower connector device 18 and the vacuum source 12 oranother device associated therewith, e.g., the end effector 16. Sealingcomponents may include but are not limited to O-rings and v-rings. Theports or other fluid connections coupled to the vacuum source 12 andother devices associated with the vacuum source 12 may be male or femaleconnections defined by rigid or semi-rigid materials such as plastic,metal or glass that are capable of withstanding negative pressure andairflow without collapsing or substantially deforming. Additionalcomponents of the tower connector device 18 may be associated with afaceplate 28 and are described below.

The disposal vessel 20 may be used to hold and/or decontaminate fluid orparticulate byproducts from surgery. The disposal vessel 20 is generallyarranged between the vacuum source 12 and the end effector 16 and trapsfluids and particulates received from the end effector 16 prior toreaching the vacuum source 12, or the filtration assembly 14 whenpresent. For instance, the disposal vessel may be configured as adecontamination area used to decontaminate gaseous byproducts, fluidbyproducts or both through ultraviolet treatment. In someimplementations, the disposal vessel 20 may additionally function as thefiltration assembly 14. In addition, the disposal vessel 20 may bedisposable, e.g., a single-use arrangement, or may be reusable andreplaceable. In some implementations, the disposal vessel 20 may be usedin combination with the system or components thereof described in U.S.Pat. No. 7,717,890, entitled “Fluid and Bioaerosol Management VacuumConnector and System,” and issued on May 18, 2010, the entire contentsof which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The conduits 22 and 24 may be configured for coupling the variousdevices of the evacuation system of the present disclosure. Withreference to FIG. 1A, the conduit 22 may be adapted for coupling the endeffector 16 to an inlet port of the tower connector device 18 and may besized and shaped for laparoscopic use. For instance, the conduit 22 maybe tubing with a ⅜ inch diameter that couples to a laparoscopic inletport of the tower connector device 18 and to a side vent portion of atrocar or other end effector used in laparoscopic settings. With furtherreference to FIG. 1A, the conduit 24 may be adapted for coupling thevacuum source 12 to an outlet port of the tower connector device 18 andmay be sized and shaped for generating negative pressure and suction atlevels required during open surgery. For instance, the conduit 24 may betubing with a 1 inch diameter or another size commonly used for joiningto a vacuum source adapted for use in open surgery. The conduits 22, 24may be extruded from a single piece of material, e.g., a unitary pieceof synthetic resin or similar extrudable material. The conduits may beadvantageously and hygienically disposed of after a single use, withoutthe necessity of handling contaminated material.

The flow regulator device 26 of the present disclosure, according tocertain implementations, may be configured as a flow restrictor, valveor other suitable flow affecting arrangement, and may be associated withor integrally formed with the tower connector device 18. As described,the flow regulator device 26 may regulate negative pressure and suctiongenerated by the vacuum source 12 so that the level of negativepressure/suction delivered to an end effector 16 is safe forlaparoscopic settings. The device includes at least two ports: a vacuumport and an inlet port, as well as a flow control device. The vacuumport may be adapted to fluidly couple to the vacuum source 12, while theinlet port may be adapted to fluidly couple to an end effector 16. Theseports may fluidly couple to one another, and the flow rate adjuster mayoperate to adjust a level of negative pressure, and therefore suction,delivered by the vacuum source to the inlet port to a reduced suctionlevel. By use of the flow regulator device 26, the end effector 16receives a level of active suction for removing smoke from a body cavityduring laparoscopic surgery that otherwise would not be possible by theuse of a vacuum source 12 adapted for open surgery (e.g., a vacuumsource delivering at least 25 ft³/min of suction). According to certainimplementations, the flow rate adjuster is configured to reduce adiameter of a fluid pathway associated with an inlet port for the endeffector 16. For instance, an initial diameter of an inlet forlaparoscopic attachments (e.g., conduits or end effector tubing) may beabout 5 mm, and the flow rate adjuster may be configured to reduce thediameter down to about 0.1 mm, thereby adjusting the rate of activesuction available to the end effector 16. In addition or alternatively,the initial diameter of the inlet for laparoscopic attachments may allowfor a maximum suction rate of about 0.35 ft³/min (i.e., about 10 litersper minute) and may be reduced to a diameter of 0, i.e., to turn off theactive suction.

According to certain implementations, the flow regulator device 26, or aportion thereof, may be incorporated in a faceplate of the type thatcommonly forms a component of the tower connector device 18. FIG. 2depicts a faceplate 28 according to the present disclosure, which mayinclude the ports and/or the flow rate adjuster of the regulator device26. In FIG. 2, the faceplate 28 includes end effector port 30,optionally ports 32, a vacuum port 36, an end effector port flow rateadjuster 38, optionally flow rate adjuster 40, a vacuum port flow rateadjuster 42, inputs 44 and a display 46. The end effector port 30 may besized and shaped to receive the conduit 22 or another connection devicejoined to the end effector 16 configured for laparoscopic surgery, andthe end effector port 30 may be fluidly coupled to the vacuum port 36configured to joint to the vacuum source 12. The vacuum port 36 may havea diameter commonly associated with vacuum sources used in open surgery,and for example, may have a diameter of 1 inch or greater. Consequently,the diameter of the vacuum port 36 is relatively larger than a diameterof the end effector port 30. The end effector port flow rate adjuster 38may be configured as a manually (e.g., via a control knob) orautomatically operable adjustment device and may be used to adjust adiameter of the end effector port 30 to control a rate of suctiondelivered to the end effector 16. For instance, an initial diameter ofthe end effector port 30 may be about 5 mm, and the flow rate adjuster38 may be configured to reduce the diameter down to about 0.1 mm,thereby adjusting the rate of active suction available to the endeffector 16. While the faceplate 28 is depicted as including a vacuumport 36, in other instances, this port may be arranged on anotherportion of the tower connector device 18 while maintaining a fluidconnection to the end effector port 30.

As described, the faceplate 28 may additionally include other ports andflow rate adjusters. For example, the flow regulator device 26 or thefaceplate 28 may include a port 32 for open surgery configured tofluidly couple to end effectors used in open surgery. In this example, adiameter of the port 32 is configured to receive the negative pressuregenerated by the vacuum source at the level of suction for removingsmoke during open surgery. In addition, the port 32 may be fluidlycoupled to the vacuum port 36, and the flow rate adjuster 40 may beconfigured similarly to the flow rate adjuster 38 and may adjust theflow rate delivered to the open surgical end effector during opensurgery by controlling a diameter of the port 32. The vacuum port flowrate adjuster 42 may be configured to control a diameter of the vacuumport 36, which may be provided as an additional measure for controllingthe negative pressure and suction to the end effector 16. Inputs 44 maybe communicatively coupled to electrical components such as sensorsassociated with the ports 30, 32, and 36 for sensing pressure/suctionsrates at the ports: and to the display 46, which may be a digital oranalog display device, or an LED display. Further, the components of theevacuation system 10 may be coupled to suitable microprocessor orintegrated circuit components.

Turning to FIG. 2, another embodiment of a flow regulator device 126 isdepicted, which may be a self-contained device adapted to be joined(e.g., plugged-in) to the tower connector device 18, e.g., via thevacuum port 36, or to another component of the evacuation system 10.Accordingly, the flow regulator device 126 may couple between an endeffector 16 proximate a patient and the tower connector device 18 or thevacuum source 12, which may or may not be coupled to the tower connectordevice 18. The flow regulator device 126 may include a housing 128, anopen surgical procedure port 130, a laparoscopic procedure port 132, avacuum port 136, a laparoscopic flow regulator 138 as well as other flowregulators.

The housing 128 of the flow regulator device 126 may be configured witha size and shape allowing the device to be positioned adjacent to andoptionally joined directly to a port defined in the tower connectordevice 18 or in a vacuum source 12 or a port defined in a device fluidlycoupled to the vacuum source 12.

With respect to the open surgical port 130, this port may be adapted tojoin to tubing or another conduit that is fluidly coupled to a hand-helddevice used for open surgery. With respect to the laparoscopic surgicalport 132, this port may be adapted to join to a laparoscopic device usedto evacuate smoke or fluids from a closed surgical setting. The diameterof these surgical ports may differ from each other based on the level ofnegative pressure used during open procedures compared to laparoscopicprocedures. For instance, the laparoscopic surgical port may have arelatively smaller diameter compared to the open surgical port due dothe laparoscopic device receiving a lower level of negative pressurecompared to the hand-held devices used in open surgeries. As described,a diameter of a laparoscopic port 132 may be about 5 mm, and thediameter of the open surgical port 130 may be relatively larger, e.g.,at least 6 mm. The vacuum port 136 may be adapted to join to the vacuumsource 12 or to a port defined by a device fluidly coupled to the vacuumsource.

Port walls of the device may define openings of differing sizes thatjoin to one another in order to regulate the negative pressure/suctiontransferred to the suction devices during operation. By varying thediameter of the openings within the device, the negativepressure/suction delivered to the end effector 16 or other evacuationdevices may be defined and controlled. As described, the relativediameters of the ports 130, 132 may differ from one another based on thenegative pressure requirements of the respective end effectors. Inaddition, the vacuum port 136 may be sized and shaped so that the vacuumport fluidly joins to the open and laparoscopic ports. With reference toFIG. 2, the diameter of the vacuum port 136 may be relatively largerthan the diameters of both the open and laparoscopic surgical ports 130,132. The open surgical port 130 may join directly to the vacuum port136, and a wall may be arranged between a connection point where thevacuum port 136 joins to the open surgical port 130, thus accounting forthe difference in diameter between these ports. The laparoscopicsurgical port 132 may fluidly couple to the vacuum port 136 directly orvia the open surgical port 130 as shown in FIG. 2. The laparoscopic flowregulator 136 may join to the laparoscopic surgical port 132 for use incontrolling an internal diameter of the laparoscopic surgical port 132.

Turning to FIG. 3A, the flow regulator device 126 and the towerconnector device 18 are illustrated in an isometric view, and the vacuumport 136 of the flow regulator device 126 may be joined to or plugged-into the vacuum port 36 (e.g., outlet) of the tower connector device. FIG.3B illustrates a side view of the flow regulator device 126 proximatethe tower connector device 18. Upon joining the flow regulator device126 to the tower connector device, the tower connector device 18 mayoperate in substantially the same manner as the flow regulator device26.

In use, the negative pressure generated by the vacuum source 12 is lowerbetween the vacuum source 12 and the tower connector device 18 and/orthe flow regulator device 26/126 than between the flow regulator device26/126 and the end effector 16 and/or the abdominal cavity. In someembodiments, the evacuation system 10 may be thought of and/or referredto as a hybrid system comprising or utilizing typical evacuation orextraction vacuum pressures as well as reduced evacuation pressures(e.g., reduced suction). The portion of the system exhibiting thereduced negative pressure is useful, for example, in helping to reducetissue dissection in the abdominal cavity, and the portion with thegreater negative pressure (e.g., increased suction) helps provide forsubstantially complete evacuation and filtration of gaseous and fluidbyproducts or noxious vapors flowing from the surgical site in theabdominal cavity through and/or into the tower connector device 18,disposal vessel 20 and filter 21. Further, the evacuation system 10 byuse of collection and filtration devices may decontaminate fluids andgasses from surgery and enable the air and fluid end products to bereleased so that, for instance, the filtered and processed air fromsurgery may be released into the atmosphere (e.g., outside air) and thefiltered and processed fluids from surgery may be released into sewersystems. For instance, as carbon dioxide gas exits the body cavity wherethe laparoscopic surgery takes place, the gas moves through theevacuation system 10 components where particulates are removed, e.g.,through filtration (HEPA, ULPA and/or water filtration), and the gas maybe further decontaminated using UV treatment. In some cases thedecontamination process may occur before, during or after gases/fluidsreach the vacuum source 12, or combinations thereof.

In some implementations, the evacuation system 10 may include aninsufflator, or may be used in connection with such a device. In thiscase, a sensing and control system may be used to sense a level ofpressure within a body cavity undergoing surgery and control a level ofpressure therein by controlling the flow regulator device 26/126 and theinsufflator. For instance, based on a selected pressure level to bemaintained in the body cavity, the sensing and control system may usethe flow regulator device 26/126 to regulate the negative pressurereceived by the end effector 16 from the vacuum source 12 (e.g., bycontrolling an internal diameter of the laparoscopic end effector inletport) as well as the insufflator to regulate pressure delivered to thebody cavity to achieve and maintain the selected pressure. In thisimplementation, the sensing and control system may allow for an activesuction to be delivered to the body cavity at acceptable rates of activesuction/negative pressure levels, such as suction rates of up to 10liters per minute or at selected pressure differentials between thevacuum source and the body cavity, such as a pressure differential of 1mmHg or more. For instance, consider 15 mmHg of pressure within thesurgical site, pre-set in the insufflator and a 1 mmHg negative pressure(or slightly more negative pressure) provided by the vacuum source 12.This is in contrast to 15 mmHg within the abdomen based on the pre-setpressure regulator in the insufflator which continues to add CO2 tomaintain the 15 mmHg pre-set pressure, and the outside air in theoperating room which, by convention is considered as 0.0 mmHg. Thisfirst example is a pull (active suction) whereas the second example is apush (positive pressure gradient).

According to further implementations, the evacuation system 10 may beconfigured to control a level of negative pressure/active suction bycontrolling the operation of the vacuum source 12. For example, theevacuation system 10 may additionally or alternatively regulate thenegative pressure generated by the vacuum source 12. In yet furtherimplementations, the evacuation system 10, when used in combination withthe tower connector device 18 may regulate the negative pressure at thevacuum port 32 such as by regulating the diameter of the port using thevacuum port flow rate adjuster 42.

Generally, in an operating room environment a noise level of 55 dB orless may be preferred, but this level may be varied. In someembodiments, the shape and/or size of the system components, e.g.tubing, openings, valves, etc., and/or flow rates and/or pressuregradients may be selected to sonically tune the evacuator and/or theevacuation system, i.e. balance optimal air flow and noise.

In another use of the system of the present invention, it may be used ata workstation or the like, or on or in a containment vessel or the like,to remove fumes or smoke. Such workstations and vessels may be used, forexample, for cleaning components in the computer industry or forperforming experiments or tasks in which noxious fumes are emitted.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the essential spirit or attributes thereof. The describedembodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative, notrestrictive.

What is claimed is:
 1. An evacuation system for surgical settingscomprising: a vacuum source configured to generate a negative pressurefor delivering a level of suction for removing smoke during opensurgery; a flow regulator device fluidly coupled to the vacuum source,the flow regulator device comprising a vacuum port, an inlet port, and aflow rate adjuster; and a sensing and control system operativelyassociated with the vacuum source and the flow regulator and programmedto: cause delivery of a first level of suction via the flow regulatordevice based on a target pressure level to be maintained in a bodycavity during laparoscopic surgery; sense a level of pressure at one ormore of the vacuum port and the inlet port indicative of a pressure ofthe body cavity during laparoscopic surgery; and cause delivery of asecond level of suction via the flow regulator device in response to asensed level of pressure deviating from the target pressure, the firstand second levels of suction being non-zero suction levels, wherein thevacuum port is adapted to fluidly couple to the vacuum source, the inletport is adapted to fluidly couple to an end effector, the vacuum portand the inlet port are fluidly coupled, and the flow rate adjuster isoperable to adjust a level of negative pressure delivered by the vacuumsource to the inlet port to a reduced suction level such that the endeffector receives a level of active suction for removing smoke from thebody cavity during laparoscopic surgery.
 2. The evacuation system ofclaim 1, further comprising a tower connector device adapted for use inoperating rooms, wherein the flow regulator device forms a portion ofthe tower connector device.
 3. The evacuation system of claim 2, whereinthe tower connector device further comprises a faceplate, and wherein atleast the inlet port and the flow rate adjuster are arranged therein. 4.The evacuation system of claim 3, wherein the tower connector devicefurther comprises the vacuum port.
 5. The evacuation system of claim 3,wherein the tower connector device is communicatively coupled to amicroprocessor or integrated circuit components adapted to measure thelevel of suction at the inlet port in response to operation of the flowrate adjuster.
 6. The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein a diameterof the vacuum port is larger than a diameter of the fluidly coupledinlet port, and wherein the flow rate adjuster is configured to reducethe diameter of the inlet port.
 7. The evacuation system of claim 6,wherein the flow rate adjuster of the flow regulator device isconfigured for manual operation by a user.
 8. The evacuation system ofclaim 6, wherein the flow regulator device further comprises an opensurgery port adapted to fluidly couple to an end effector configured foropen surgery, wherein a diameter of the open surgery port is configuredto receive the negative pressure generated by the vacuum source at thelevel of suction for removing smoke during open surgery.
 9. Theevacuation system of claim 6, wherein the flow regulator device iscommunicatively coupled to a microprocessor or integrated circuitcomponents adapted to measure the level of suction at the inlet port.10. The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein: the evacuation systemdefines a fluid pathway between the vacuum source and effector; the flowrate adjuster is arranged along the fluid pathway and configured toadjust a diameter of the fluid pathway; in a first configuration, thediameter of the fluid pathway is a first diameter, thereby causing thedelivery of the first level of suction; and in a second configuration,the diameter of the fluid pathway is a second diameter, thereby causingthe delivery of the second level of suction.
 11. The evacuation systemof claim 10, wherein: the fluid pathway comprises a first fluid pathwaydefined between the vacuum source and the vacuum port of the flowregulator device and a second fluid pathway defined between the inletport of the flow regulator device and the end effector; and the firstfluid pathway and the second fluid pathway have different diameters. 12.The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein: the target pressure levelcomprises a pressure gradient between the body cavity and the vacuumsource; and the second level of suction caused by the sensing andcontrol system is configured to maintain the pressure gradient.
 13. Anevacuation system for surgical settings comprising: a vacuum sourceconfigured to generate a negative pressure for delivering a level ofsuction of at least 25 cubic feet per minute; a flow regulator devicefluidly coupled to the vacuum source, the flow regulator devicecomprising a vacuum port, an inlet port, and a flow rate adjuster; and asensing and control system operatively associated with the vacuum sourceand the flow regulator and programmed to: cause delivery of a firstlevel of suction via the flow regulator device based on a targetpressure level to be maintained in a body cavity during laparoscopicsurgery; sense a level of pressure at one or more of the vacuum port andthe inlet port indicative of a pressure of the body cavity duringlaparoscopic surgery; and cause delivery of a second level of suctionvia the flow regulator device in response to a sensed level of pressuredeviating from the target pressure, the first and second levels ofsuction being non-zero suction levels, wherein the vacuum port isadapted to fluidly couple to the vacuum source, the inlet port isadapted to fluidly couple to an end effector, the vacuum port and theinlet port are fluidly coupled, and the flow rate adjuster is operableto adjust a level of negative pressure delivered by the vacuum source tothe inlet port to a reduced suction level such that the end effectorreceives a level of suction for removing smoke from a body cavity of upto 0.35 cubic feet per minute.
 14. An evacuation system for surgicalsettings comprising: a vacuum source configured to generate a negativepressure for delivering a level of suction for removing smoke duringopen surgery; a disposal vessel configured to hold fluid byproducts fromsurgery; a decontamination area configured to decontaminate gaseousbyproducts from surgery; a flow regulator device, the flow regulatordevice comprising a vacuum port, an inlet port, and a flow rateadjuster; an end effector configured for insertion into a body and forremoving smoke from a body cavity during laparoscopic surgery; a fluidpathway fluidly coupling the vacuum source, the disposal vessel, thedecontamination area, the flow regulator device, and the end effector;and a sensing and control system operatively associated with the vacuumsource and the flow regulator and programmed to: cause delivery of afirst level of suction via the flow regulator device based on a targetpressure level to be maintained in a body cavity during laparoscopicsurgery; sense a level of pressure at one or more of the vacuum port andthe inlet port indicative of a pressure of the body cavity duringlaparoscopic surgery; and cause delivery of a second level of suctionvia the flow regulator device in response to a sensed level of pressuredeviating from the target pressure, the first and second levels ofsuction being non-zero suction levels, wherein the vacuum port of theflow regulator couples to the vacuum source, the inlet port is adaptedto fluidly couple to the end effector, the vacuum port and the inletport are fluidly coupled, and the flow rate adjuster is operable toadjust a level of negative pressure delivered by the vacuum source tothe inlet port to a reduced suction level such that the end effectorreceives a level of active suction for removing smoke from the bodycavity during laparoscopic surgery.
 15. The evacuation system of claim14, wherein the decontamination area receives gaseous byproducts fromthe end effector and decontaminates the gaseous byproducts byultraviolet treatment.
 16. The evacuation system of claim 14, whereinthe flow regulator device forms one of: a portion of a tower connectordevice adapted for use in operating rooms, a housing adapted to joindirectly to an outlet of the vacuum source, or a housing adapted to joindirectly to the tower connector device adapted for use in operatingrooms.
 17. The evacuation system of claim 16, wherein the flow regulatordevice is communicatively coupled to a microprocessor or integratedcircuit components adapted to measure the level of suction at the inletport.
 18. The evacuation system of claim 17, wherein the flow rateadjuster of the flow regulator device is configured for manual operationby a user.
 19. The evacuation system of claim 18, wherein a diameter ofthe vacuum port is larger than a diameter of the fluidly coupled inletport, and wherein the flow rate adjuster is configured to reduce thediameter of the inlet port.
 20. The evacuation system of claim 19,wherein the flow regulator forms a portion of the tower connectordevice, wherein the tower connector device further comprises afaceplate, and wherein at least the inlet port and the flow rateadjuster are arranged therein.